Supreme Court Curbs EPA's Authority Over Power Plant Emissions

THURSDAY, June 30, 2022 (HealthDay News) – In a ruling that will curb efforts to fight climate change, the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday limited the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate carbon emissions from power plants.

The 6-3 decision comes as scientists are warning about the growing threat posed by global warming...

FDA Tells Vaccine Makers to Update Boosters to Target Omicron Subvariants

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday that it has asked vaccine makers to update their COVID-19 booster shots to target the Omicron subvariants known as BA.4 and BA.5.

The two highly contagious subvariants now account for more than half of all new COVID cases in the United States.

"As we move into the fall and wint...

Fauci Has 'Rebound' COVID After Paxlovid, But Says Drug Kept Him Out of the Hospital

After being infected with COVID-19 earlier this month, Dr. Anthony Fauci experienced a rebound after taking the antiviral pill Paxlovid, but he maintained on Wednesday that the drug kept him out of the hospital.

"Paxlovid did what it was supposed to do," Fauci, 81, told the New York Times. He added that he thought the drug also r...

Harnessing a Virus to Fight a Killer Brain Tumor in Kids

THURSDAY, June 30, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- A therapy that uses a virus to kill tumor cells can be safely given to children with a rare, incurable form of brain cancer, an early study has found.

The study -- published June 30 in the New England Journal of Medicine -- involved just 12 children with the disease, c...

Cancer Survivors Face Higher Heart Risks Later

THURSDAY, June 30, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- If you survive cancer, you're more apt to have heart trouble later on, a new study shows.

Researchers found that compared to others, cancer survivors had a 42% greater risk of heart disease, most likely due to damage resulting from cancer treatment.

"There are chemotherap...

Will You Be Depositing at the 'Stool Bank' Someday?

Banking samples of your own poop in your youth and then transplanting them back when you're old might be a key to healthy aging, scientists suggest.

Stool samples frozen and stored when a person is vital and healthy could potentially rejuvenate bacteria in the gut that's become damaged due to aging, disease or antibiotic use, according to ...

U.S. Orders 105 Million More Pfizer Shots for Fall Booster Campaign

Anticipating a surge in booster shots this fall, the U.S. government said Wednesday that it is buying an added 105 million more doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.

The $3.2 billion deal comes at a time when the government is trying to figure out the best way to update COVID vaccines to deal with the ever-changing virus. The deal also giv...

AHA News: 8 Days After Giving Birth, 29-Year-Old Had a Stroke

Noelia Gutierrez appreciated her mother traveling from New York to Florida to help with the arrival of her third child. One day, Gutierrez decided to have a fun lunch: She would introduce her mom to sushi. And her brother, a flight attendant who was on the road, would witness the occasion via video chat.

Holding her 8-day-old daughter agai...

Brain Changes Link Menopause With Higher Alzheimer's Risk

THURSDAY, June 30, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Women are more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than men, and a new study shows that certain brain changes known to increase this risk may accrue during menopause.

Women who have gone through menopause have more white matter hyperintensities in their brains than premenopau...

Safer Roadways Could Save 540,000 Lives a Year Worldwide

Traffic accidents kill about 1.35 million people around the world each year.

As the United Nations convenes a meeting on global road safety, new research suggests that if nations focused on key safety measures, about 540,000 lives a year could be saved.

"The death toll from traffic injuries around the world is far too high," said stu...

Many Parents Ignore Fireworks Safety

Many U.S. parents don't take proper precautions to protect their children from fireworks-related burns and injuries, claims a new survey released just ahead of the Fourth of July.

The poll of more than 2,000 parents of children ages 3-18 was conducted this spring and found that more than half said someone in their family or neighborhood s...

What's the Best Timing for COVID Shots in Pregnancy?

Getting a COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy can help protect both mother and baby.

But does it matter which vaccine or at what stage of pregnancy a woman receives her shots? New research suggests it does, and that getting immunized earlier in pregnancy may be better.

In their study, investigators focused on maternal immune responses...

Study Spots Key Factor in Kids' Friendships

While kids in a classroom are likely to be familiar with all their classmates after a short time, the children they are assigned to sit near are likely to become their closer friends, a new study suggests.

Researchers from Florida Atlantic University found that after seat assignments changed, students were more likely to become friends wi...

Pool Neck Floats a Danger to Babies, FDA Warns

Neck floats marketed for babies to use in water can lead to serious injury or death, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned this week.

The inflatable plastic rings are especially dangerous for infants who have developmental delays or special needs, such as those with spina bifida, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 1, Down syndrome o...

Staffing Shortages Have U.S. Nursing Homes in Crisis

There's a shortage of nursing home beds for the elderly in America due to a severe staffing crisis that has caused long-term care facilities to cut back on new admissions, new research shows.

Three out of five nursing homes (61%) have limited new admissions due to staffing shortages, according to a survey conducted by the American Health C...

Demand for Abortion Pills, Info Has Been Surging for Weeks

WEDNESDAY, June 29, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Shortly after news broke in May that Roe v. Wade was in danger of being overturned by the Supreme Court, internet searches for abortion pills surged, a new study shows.

On May 2, a leaked draft ruling indicated that the court was poised to strike down the 1973 ruling that guar...

First Major League Soccer Player Is Diagnosed With CTE

When former professional Major League Soccer (MLS) player Scott Vermillion died at age 44, he had stage 2 CTE, his family announced Tuesday.

He is the first former MLS player diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Vermillion died from an accidental overdose in December 2020.

"This disease destroys families, and not j...

AHA News: Sleep Joins Revamped List of Heart Health Essentials

Proper sleep is essential, and a widely used scoring system for heart and brain health is being redefined to reflect that.

Since 2010, the American Heart Association has said seven modifiable components – maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking, being physically active, eating a healthy diet and controlling blood pressure, cholesterol ...

Could Getting Your Flu Shot Help Prevent Alzheimer's?

WEDNESDAY, June 29, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- A yearly flu shot may do more than protect you from a nasty bout of influenza: New research suggests it may help guard against Alzheimer’s disease as well.

People who were vaccinated at least once over four years were 40% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s during that peri...

Kids Happier, Healthier Away From All Those Screens: Study

WEDNESDAY, June 29, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- New research confirms the dangers of too much screen time for kids and teens: Those who play sports, take music lessons, or socialize with friends after school are happier and healthier than children who are glued to a screen during these hours.

"Screen time, where you ar...